FRUIT NURSERY & ITS ESTABLISHMENT CRITERIA

Dr. Parshant BakshiDr. Parshant Bakshi

Associate ProfessorDivision of Fruit Science

SKUAST-JAMMU

NURSERYNURSERY

The nursery is the place where young plants are raised

and taken care of until they reach the right size

for outplanting.

OBJECTIVES OF THE NURSERYOBJECTIVES OF THE NURSERY•To raise healthy and disease free stocks.•To distribute plant material in masses who have little knowledge about the techniques of raising plants.•To introduce exotic species.•Planting of nursery grown is the surest method of artificially regenerating poor and barren sites.•Replacement of casualties.

CLASSIFICATIONCLASSIFICATIONOn the basis of size and purpose and nature of business

the nursery can be classified as follows:

1.1.Temporary NurseryTemporary NurseryThis is also known as seed nursery. The main objective of

this type of nursery is afforestation/plantation over a limited area and after that the nursery is wound up. It should always be close to the planting site. It is established to cater one’s personal need.

2. Permanent Nursery2. Permanent NurseryA permanent nursery is established for large scale

multiplication of elite types of plant material on long term basis. It should be well equipped with fencing, inspection paths, irrigation system, store, pot yard, packing area, raised platform for loading and unloading of plants, in addition to an office to keep the record.

•Classification based on irrigation facilities•Dry nursery

This type of nursery is primarily meant for the multiplication

of those plants which are drought hardy and do not need artificial

watering. In general, this type of nursery is not very successful.

These are wholly dependent on the rainfall.

•Wet nursery

In wet type of nursery, there is a permanent provision of

irrigation water for plant propagation. All types of plant material

can be raised in a wet nursery. Wet and permanent nurseries are

always a commercial venture.

SITE SELECTION

The following are the factors in selecting an ideal nursery site:

•Water should be available throughout the year

•Area should be large enough to accommodate the required

seedlings and facilities

•Area could be flat or slightly inclined to allow sufficient drainage

•Area must be accessible or close to the road

•Area must have good soil condition, i.e. dry sandy loam or loam,

topsoil of about 30 cm, with 5.5 to 6.5 pH and high quantity of

organic matter

Site Preparation

After a suitable nursery site is selected, remove stones, rocks,

stumps and roots, and all undesirable vegetation. If it is sloping,

construct bench terraces following the contour. Use soil covered with

grasses or dry stones as terrace walls. Hollow blocks may be used in

exceptional.

•Area must have good exposure to sunlight

•Area must be protected from strong winds with temporary

windbreakers

• using local materials. For permanent windbreakers, establish

a green belt (trees that can withstand strong winds) around the

nursery.

IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF NURSERYA modern nursery should have the following parts:

Permanent structuresAn ideal nursery should have an office, sale counter, packing

shed, store house, implement shed, bullock shed and residential quarters etc. Building and similar structures should be constructed in one corner of the nursery and near to the main gate to facilitate supervision and reduce working and transport distances. The office should also be accessible by cars/trucks. Office is meant for keeping the nursery records and for sitting of the manager/owner who supervises all the activities. However both the store and office can be in the same building, store can be utilized for keeping packing material such as baskets, labels, nails, ropes, equipments, fertilizers and planting material etc.

Progeny blockA nursery man should have progeny trees of all the promising

plants and varieties that can be grown in that particular area. In progeny block, true-to-type mother plants are maintained in the nursery. According to the choice of the customers, suitable plant types with existing superior varieties should be collected and maintained in the progeny block. Seed beds

Seed beds can be accommodated in a comparatively smaller area. They should be nearer to a source of water supply and to the office so that they can be kept under proper vigilance. The beds should be raised enough to avoid water stagnation due to rain and excess watering. Seed beds should be located in an open situation for better germination of seeds and to avoid infestation of ‘damping off’ disease.

Nursery bedsSeedlings from the seed beds are lifted and transplanted in the

nursery beds. Nursery beds should be slightly raised, with 3m length and 1 meter width. It is better if nursery beds are divided into two sections. For example, one section can be a mango seedbed area, a second section can be set apart for rooting of cuttings, another for citrus plants etc. This order should be changed next season to have a rotation and thereby keeping the fertility of the soil intact. A nursery bed should be prepared by repeated ploughing and adding appropriate amount of organic manures and fertilizers. There must be adequate facility of proper drainage. The nursery beds should be laid out in such a way that there is an access to all the beds through roads or paths so that workmen may not have to walk over bunds or in water channels. Nursery beds should be located in an open area near to a water source.

Pot yardThe pot yard is generally used for tender plants, which

require shade as compared to hardy plants. Therefore, pot yards should be in shade and near to water source for frequent watering. Trenches can be provided for keeping the potted plants closely packed together.

Packing yard and working shedThe packing yard is used for packing the plants before sale or

dispatch to out stations. The yard can be combined with working shed. In packing yard, there should be plenty of space to enable a number of workers for sorting out and packing the plants with ease.

Water management in nurseryThe timely availability of good quality water in sufficient

amount is an integral part of nursery production. In nursery, several plants of different stages of their growth are raised, therefore timely supply of quality water is essential. Thus, proper arrangement should be made to meet the water requirement of a nursery. For this purpose, provisions for water storage tank, motor or diesel engine operated tubewell should be made. Water application methods in the nursery may be broadly classified into following two groups:

1. Conventional methods: In this method water applied is distributed by means of open surface, for example:Flood irrigationCheck basin irrigation and Furrow irrigation

1.Modern methods of irrigation: •Micro-sprinkler irrigationMicro-sprinkler irrigation

Sprinklers are suitable for dense growing seedlings. It may be used in field or controlled environment i.e. polyhouse or in poly tunnels.

•Drip irrigationDrip irrigation is best suited for containers grown crops. Fruit

crops, which are being propagated by layering, grafting and budding, can also be irrigated by drip irrigation.

•Capillary irrigationCapillary irrigation is the most suitable method for nursery

propagation of densely grown crops. Capillary irrigation can be used for both outdoor and indoor plants. A simple capillary irrigation system consists of a 5 cm deep bed of sand, the depth mainly depends on the root depth of crop to be grown. The dimension can be conveniently based on the size of bed, hydraulic conductivity of soil and root depth of crop.

Propagation of guava under shade net with sprinkler irrigation system

Propagation of mango under shade net with sprinkler irrigation system

Compost pitNursery production of horticultural and forestry plants

require huge amount of organic manures, like F.Y.M, compost, leaf mould etc. for different purposes. Therefore, arrangements should be made at nursery level to produce enough quantity of compost etc. for own purpose. One compost pit of permissible size should be located at any corner of nursery layout. At the same time several waste products of nursery can also be utilized for the same and extra effort to dispose off waste material is not required.

Trained gardeners and skilled labourerThe orchardists, who want to take up nursery production

work, should be well conversant with different propagation techniques and other nursery operations. They should have with them trained budder/grafter, who could perform these operations with good success.

Nursery Lay-outNursery Lay-out

Propagation structuresNursery is a place where raising of plants is carried out

throughout year but in few months of the year, open conditions are not found suitable to raise plants successfully. The hot desiccating winds in May-June and cold freezing waves of December-January may harm the plants and their subsequent growth. Hence, there should be provision of modern propagation structures like, green house, net house and mist chamber etc. these structures provide optimum controlled (light, temperature, moisture and humidity) for seed germination, rooting of cuttings and for hardening of young seedlings before transplanting them in the field. A brief description of different propagation structures and equipments has been given below:

GreenhousesGreenhouse is a general term for the framed or inflated

structure covered with transparent/translucent material large enough to grow crops under partial or fully controlled environmental conditions such as temperature, solar radiation, rainfall, humidity etc. to get optimum growth and productivity round the year.Classification of greenhouses1.Low cost green houses

This type of green house involves very less initial cost because they are naturally ventilated. Naturally ventilation refers to providing sufficient open area in green house structure so that ambient air by itself enters into the greenhouse after displacing an equal amount of greenhouse air.

2. Medium cost greenhousesThe initial cost for the such type of greenhouses is more

than the low cost greenhouses, since partial control of the environmental factors is necessary.

3. High cost greenhousesSuch type of greenhouses involves very high cost of

establishment because the conditions inside the greenhouse are to be fully controlled. These are most efficient with respect to plant propagation particularly under extreme climatic conditions. However, preference should be given to low cost greenhouses.

Mist propagation unitMist propagation units are used for propagation of

“difficult to root” cuttings. A fine mist is sprayed intermittently over the cuttings at regular intervals during day and night. It is controlled by a time clock.

Net houseNet house is widely used as propagation structure in

tropical areas, where artificial heating is not required and artificial cooling is expensive. In these areas, a net house may be constructed with roofs covered with glass or plastic film and its sides are covered with wired net. The roof of net house may be covered with gunny cloth or even with live plant creeper to cut off the solar radiant energy and to keep the house cool. Net house can be constructed as per the need of the propagator and therefore its size varies with the requirement of the nurserymen.

Mist propagation unit

Use of Mist for strawberry runner production under shade net

Propagation of guava under shade net conditions

Plastic tunnels

It consists of a perforated tunnel made for strawberry

protection. The three feet wide wire hoops, which support the

polyethylene, made from 0.2-inch diameter wire and are erected at

30-inch intervals. A white translucent polyethylene sheet 6 feet wide

is then stretched over the hoops and is then held in position by

fastening two lines of polyethylene bailer twin to alternate hoops on

either side of the tunnel.

Perforated tunnel made for strawberry production.

IMPORTANT NURSERY OPERATIONSField/Bed preparation and eradication of competing vegetation

Deep ploughing twice would help to loosen the soil and clear the weeds and other vegetation. All types of stones and roots etc. should be taken out as they obstruct the growth of seedlings. Burning of dry grass and shrubby material tends to reduce the insect and weed problem and left over minerals rich improves the fertility of seed beds.

Layout of beds and levellingThe width of the seed bed should be kept such that weeding

and hoeing can be accomplished without entering the seed bed. It should be 1.2 to 1.5 m. The length of the seed bed may be kept upto 12.5 m. Usually, three types of seed beds are used:

Raised bedsThese are made in high rainfall areas. Raised beds are 10-15

cm above ground level with the support of bricks, stones or bamboos, which prevents edges of beds from crumbling during rains.Sunken beds

Sunken beds are made in dry areas. The objective of sunken bed is to avoid flow of water outside the bed. These beds are usually 15 cm deeper than the normal ground level. Level beds

Level beds are made in normal rainfall areas. The surface of the nursery bed should be flat or should have a slight camber. In order to enable good drainage in the beds, surface dressing should be done.

Mango Seedlings on level beds in nursery

Citrus seedling grown on level bed in the nursery

Guava seedling grown in open conditions on level beds in nursery

Mixing of FYMFarm yard manure (FYM) crushed into fine powder should

be thoroughly mixed with the top soil of the bed before sowing the seeds or planting the other planting material (cuttings, suckers, rhizomes etc.) if the soils are sandy, addition of clay/pond soil always becomes essential.

Raising plants in the nurseryTo raise plants in the nursery seems to be easy but to

maintain them in good state is very tedious. Therefore, one should have complete idea about sowing time, sowing depth of the seed etc. to raise the seedlings effectively. Similarly, knowledge about transplanting of seedlings, their handling and further management in the nursery is equally important for raising quality planting material.

Sowing of seeds in the nurseryIn asexually propagated plants, the seeds are first sown in

the seed beds and after attainment of sufficient growth of the seedlings, they are transplanted in the permanent site. Similarly, rootstocks of fruit plants are first raised in the nursery and at optimum growth of seedlings of rootstock, they are subjected to budding, grafting etc.

For preparation of seed beds, the soil should be prepared thoroughly by repeated ploughings. During land preparation, suitable chemicals should be added to protect the seeds and seedlings from the attack of insect-pests, diseases and weeds. The soil should be levelled and the beds should be of desired size and sufficiently spaced in order to facilitate nurserymen to care all the seedlings from either sides of the bed.

Sowing timeThe time of sowing seeds of different plants largely depend

on the nature of plant and varieties. Seeds of temperate fruits are generally available during June to October and their sowing should be done after the dormancy period is over. The seeds of tropical and sub-tropical fruits are sown during monsoon (June-July) or in the beginning of spring (February-march). Generally mango, kagzi lime and jackfruit seeds are sown during June-July, while that of guava, ber and aonla during February – March. Under north Indian conditions, the seeds of different citrus types are available during winter months and their germination is usually low due to prevailing low temperature. Seeds of some fruits (citrus, mango, loquat, litchi, jackfruit, etc) lose viability quickly, so these should be sown immediately after their extraction from the fruit.

Sowing in bedsThe seeds are usually sown at a depth 3-4 times of their size.

Sowing may be done a little deeper in light soils than in heavy soils. After sowing seeds must be covered with a thin layer of sand or soil and then a light irrigation is given.Sowing in polybags/pots

Seed sowing in polybags/pots is now becoming commercial, because this entails minimum disturbance to the root system, avoids the problem of digging, ease in transportation and gives higher final survival. Generally, the polybags of 22.5 x 12.5 cm size is used. Size of the polybags may vary according to the size of the seedlings to be raised. Make sure that drainage holes are provided at the bottom of the bags. Earthen pots generally 5” sizes are used for raising the rootstocks. Polybags/pots filling mixture should contain thoroughly mixed well drained soil, FYM and clay/pond soil in 1:1:1 ratio. One to two seeds should be sown in each bag/pot at 0.5 to 1.0 cm depth. Gap filling in bag/pot should be carried out within two weeks of initial sowing.

In situ sowingIn situ sowing refer to the sowing of seeds in situation or

directly in the field and budding/grafting operating etc. are carried out there itself. In some fruit crops, the tap root system is very vigorous and during the process of transplanting, root system is disturbed, which ultimately affects their establishment in the field. For example, walnut, pecan nut, jackfruit and ber have long tap root system. Therefore, for these fruits, in situ sowing of seeds is recommended. Similarly, for high density planting in Amarpali mango, in situ orchard establishment is recommended.Lifting of plants from the nursery

Before removal from the nursery, plants should be thoroughly watered to loosen the soil and to avoid desiccation during transport until planting. During transplanting, maximum possible soil should be retained with the seedlings. Usually, there is high mortality of seedlings after transplanting.

•If the plants do not have well developed roots.•If the seedlings are not lifted with optimum earth ball before transplanting.•If the roots of the seedlings are soft and succulent.•If the plants are not watered adequately.•If the plants are not pressed firmly to avoid air space.•If the plants are not given proper shade initially.•If the plants are not protected from scorching sun and wind•If the environmental conditions existing in nursery bed are different to those in the field.•If the seedlings are not watered immediately after transplanting.

The major reasons for failure of seedlings in transplanting are:

TOOLS, EQUIPMENTS AND ACCESSORIES USED IN NURSERY OPERATIONS

1.KhurpiIt is used for weeding and lifting of seedlings from the nursery.

2. SickleIt is used for cutting grass, fodder and harvesting crop.

3. ShovelIt helps in lifting seedlings without much injury to roots.

4. Hand HoeIt is used for preparing basins, beds and seed beds.

5. RakeIdeal tool for levelling land and collecting weed.

6. Watering canIt is used for irrigating potted plants and seed beds.

7. Pruning knifeIt is used for pruning branches and suckers. It can be used for

grafting purposes. The edges of the knife remain sharp for a longer period if it is made from high carbon steel.8. Budding knife

It is used in budding operation. Curved point help in making vertical cut on the stock plant. The other end helps in opening the bark flaps. It can be used for making cutting, pruning young shoots and tender branches.9. Grafting knife

It is used in grafting operation, also used for pruning and making cuttings.

10. SecateurIt is used for pruning branches of lead pencil thickness. It is

good for making cuttings and removing dead flowers and branches.11. Pruning saw

It is used for cutting thick branches. It is more effective for removing dead and thick branches which are over 6cm in diameter.12. Lopper

It is used for pruning branches thicker than a lead pencil. It is useful tool for making hard-wood cuttings.13. Hedge shear

It is used for trimming hedges and edges. 14. Sprinkler

Useful for irrigation. Water comes out as spray. There is economy of water as well and it also covers larger area in shorter time.15. Clipper

It is used for clipping soft grass of lawn and edges where lawn mover not covers.

16. Fork It is used for lifting manures and plant. Useful garden tool in

nursery preparation. It is also useful for shifting compost and garden rubbish.17. Sprayer

It is useful for spraying insecticides, fungicides or herbicides. It is also used for foliar application of fertilizers. 18. Sword

It is used for cutting grass or weeds from garden and lawns. It covers a large area in small time.19. Ladder

In propagation work, ladder is required for operations like cutting of bud wood, training of vigorous plants and top working of old and declining parts.20. Baskets.

A gardener should have plenty of baskets. These baskets are mainly used for carrying the seedlings for packing and transportation to the distant places.

21. LabelsA commercial propagator should have different types of labels.

These are used for proper labelling of plants before sale.22. Planting supports.

Bamboo of different sizes is required the plants during their initial stages of growth. In place of bamboo, iron rods can also be used.23. Protective material

The wound caused by pruning or cutting of scion, bud wood may act as a source of secondary infection by pathogens and insects. Bordeaux paste is the best material for this purpose. However, biltox can also be used as an effective protective material.24. Pesticides and fertilizers.

A propagator should have all chemicals to control insect-pests and disease infection in the nursery. Similarly, for adequate nutrition of the plants, manures and fertilizers should be available at all time.

TTHHAANNKK YYOOUU